Maureen Duffy

Who is Maureen Duffy?

Maureen Patricia Duffy is a contemporary British novelist, poet, and playwright, and author of nonfiction.

Duffy's work has often used Freudian ideas and Greek mythology as a framework. Her writing is distinctive for its use of contrasting voices, or streams of consciousness, often including the perspectives of outsiders. Her novels have been linked to a European tradition of literature which explores reality through the use of language and questioning, rather than through traditional linear narrative. James Joyce in particular, and Modernism in general, are significant influences on her fiction, as is Joyce Cary. 'Maureen Duffy has inspired many other writers and proved that the English novel need not be realistic and domestic, but can be fantastical, experimental and political.' Her writing in all forms is noted for her 'eye for detail and ear for language' and 'powerful intense imagery'.

Her early plays often depict working class life, with humour and evocative language, and she joined the Royal Court writers' group at a time when the social realist school, associated with such playwrights as John Osborne and Arnold Wesker, was transforming British drama.